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What Does ʿEḇeḏ Mean For Trump’s ballroom & Air Force One?

What Does ʿEḇeḏ Mean For Trump’s ballroom & Air Force One?

Last updated on: August 9, 2026 at 11:05 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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What Does ʿEḇeḏ Mean For Trump’s ballroom & Air Force One? 2026-08-09T23:05:09-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This weekend, the big news focused on Pres. Trump’s lavish ballroom and White House makeover and the mess he has made of the people’s house. It was on that ground that a federal court blocked the construction of the president’s outrageous and costly expansion.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

This was the second time this week that a court denied the president’s authority to remodel the White House without congressional approval. Despite what the president believes, he is not the master of the White House; he is only a temporary occupant there to serve the nation.

Of course, the president disagreed with the ruling and insisted he would take it to the Supreme Court. The president has vowed to renovate the White House and bring it up to his standards; in doing so, the president is showing the world that he isn’t concerned about the ways of God or His Kingdom (Isaiah 55:8-9, John 18:36):

Greedy
Deceptive
Lawless

Despite what many MAGA conservatives believe, President Trump cannot use the president’s office to enrich himself, even though he isn’t receiving a direct salary; that is how deceptive people operate. One estimate finds that the president’s wealth has already increased by over 2 billion dollars in just the first year of his second term.

Most of his new wealth comes from cryptocurrency. His family is still making money through real estate and licensing deals around the world. He is also using his influence to make money through merchandise and media opportunities.

The president has also revealed what he values by redecorating the Oval Office with golden objects and gold paint to soothe his worldly thirst. It is obvious the president is using the office to serve his own agenda instead of America (Psalm 115:4-8).

What Is a Servant

Servants tend to be at the bottom of the food chain in this fallen kingdom. That is why so many people (including many Christians) are fighting for earthly greatness; they don’t want to be servants.

Image by Pixabay

Servant is defined as “One who serves others.” Those who serve others are often viewed as slaves or servants and inferior. In today’s world, servants are looked down upon because greatness and prosperity rule this fallen kingdom.

However, God’s people are called to be different from this power-hungry kingdom (Exodus 19:5-6, 1 Peter 2:9-12). We are called to be servants and to put others first (Mark 10:42-45, Philippians 2:3-8).

That is why the Bible has a lot to say about servants and servanthood (Joshua 24:15, Luke 17:7-10, Colossians 3:22-24). We all serve a master in life; we are slaves to our selfish ways before we come to God (Titus 3:3-7, 1 Peter 1:14-19).

Once we come to Jesus, who we serve must change (Matthew 6:24, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). God once again becomes our Lord and Master (Luke 6:46, Romans 6:17-18, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

We cannot keep serving ourselves, but serve God and others if we belong to God (Romans 14:7-8, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Galatians 2:20, 1 Peter 4:10-11). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about servants.

ʿEḇeḏ

In the ancient world, servants/slaves were common, not necessarily burdensome or oppressed. The patriarchs of the faith had servants and also served God as His servants (Genesis 24:1-4; 26:24-25; 30:43, Exodus 32:13, Deuteronomy 9:27).

Servants were part of the master’s household and tended to the master’s business and property (Genesis 15:2-3). The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for servant is ʿeḇeḏ, and it can also mean “Slave or worker,” depending upon the context in which it is used.

Israel is described as God’s servants since He set them apart from this world (Isaiah 49:3-6, Jeremiah 30:18). God’s people serve Him, not our selfish wants or the idols of this world, which is why Judaism emphasizes serving others as God’s people (Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Micah 6:8):

Acts of kindness
Charity
Repairing the world
Seeking justice
Forgiving
Feeding the hungry
Lending money without interest
Teaching others the ways of God
Visiting the sick

Although Jesus was God, a teacher, and a Master, He didn’t come to be served but to serve others out of obedience to God (Matthew 20:28, Philippians 2:5-8). Our Lord humbled Himself to teach us how to live and to become great in God’s Kingdom (Matthew 11:29, John 13:12-17).

Image by Pixabay

He flipped the script on what true greatness is in God’s eyes (Matthew 5:3, Mark 10:15, Luke 6:20, John 18:36). He taught His followers to be humble and not to seek power or earthly greatness (Matthew 20:25-28, Luke 14:7-11; 22:24-27).

Jesus focused on a heavenly Kingdom, not an earthly one full of temporary idols (Matthew 6:19-21, John 18:36). He knew whoever had our hearts we would serve (Matthew 6:21-24).

Air Force One

In other big news this weekend, President Trump admitted he isn’t sure of what will happen to the new Air Force One once he leaves office, although taxpayers spent millions updating it. However, the Constitution is clear about the president not being able to accept gifts from foreign kingdoms while in office.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

The “No one is above the law” president is once again showing he doesn’t care about the Constitution; he cannot help but to serve himself. Scripture warns us about the increase of selfishness in the last days (Matthew 24:10-12, 1 Timothy 4:1-4, Jude 1:16-19). The president and MAGA are focused on an earthly kingdom that is the opposite of God’s Kingdom:

Greedy
Temporary
Deceptive
Unloving

As we look around, this world is quickly fading, just as Scripture warns (1 Corinthians 7:29-31, 1 John 2:15-17). That is why it is pointless to chase earthly greatness and also why Jesus taught us to store up treasures in heaven where they won’t be destroyed (Ecclesiastes 4:4, Matthew 6:20, Luke 9:25).

The Bible warns us about idols of this fallen kingdom like silver and gold that lead men astray and will not last (Isaiah 2:20-22, Ezekiel 7:19-20, Acts 17:29-30). If we really want to be great, we will put others first and become God’s ʿeḇeḏ!

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